Packaging system with sorting station

ABSTRACT

The disclosure relates to a packaging system comprising a product feeder and a packaging machine, wherein a monitoring unit, which is arranged upstream of or along the product feeder, detects at least one characteristic of the products and transmits it to the control unit. Depending on the category of the packed products, a downstream sorting station sorts the packagings into collecting containers provided for them or onto conveyor belts provided for them. The disclosure also relates to a corresponding method for operating a packaging system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) to German patent application number DE 10 2010 053 872.8, filed Dec. 9, 2010, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a packaging system as well as to a method of operating such a packaging system.

BACKGROUND

Packaging systems comprise a plurality of work stations. At the beginning of a packaging system, containers can be transferred to a conveyor system; the conveyor system is normally implemented as a conveyor belt. If the containers are produced only within the packaging system by a forming station by thermoforming containers in a film web, the film web is conveyed along work stations by a film conveying chain provided on both sides. Subsequently, the products are placed into the containers. After having been evacuated and/or flushed with gas, the containers are closed with a top film in a subsequent sealing station so as to form a package that guarantees the longest possible shelf life, in particular in the case of foodstuffs.

Packaging machines are known, in which, prior to the sealing station, the still open packages are monitored so as to detect whether filling with one or a plurality of products has taken place correctly. If this should not be the case, such a package is classified as “defective” in the control unit and traced via a line control so as to sort it out at a discharge station, since this package should not be carried along until the sequence of production steps ends.

Likewise, monitoring systems, preferably vision systems, are known, which examine closed packagings having attached thereto at least one label so as to find out whether the label has been provided, whether the position of the label is correct or whether the information printed on the label is correct. If a fault of one of the packagings should be detected during such monitoring, such a packaging is also here classified as “defective” in the control unit and traced via a line control so as to sort it out at a discharge station.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a packaging system and a method of operating such a packaging system, which allow a classification of the products.

Sliced goods, such as slices of ham or bacon, have, e.g., different percentages of fat or different areas of fat, whose percentage is used as a characteristic for classifying the whole product, e.g., a group of slices. For example, a low percentage of fat may be classified as characteristic A and a high percentage of fat may be classified as characteristic B. Also, other characteristics of the product may be used for the purpose of classification.

For the continuation of this text, the term “category” is defined as a virtual condition of the product in the control unit. The degree of processing through the work stations is to be understood as the real condition of the container or of the packaging in the packaging system. A “container” or a “package trough” is open for supply of a product; a “packaging” is defined as a closed container, preferably as a container closed by a top film.

A packaging system according to the present disclosure comprises a product feeder, a packaging machine, which is provided with an infeed station and with a sealing station, a sorting station for filling packagings into collecting containers, and a control unit, said control unit being configured such that all the products supplied can be traced along a direction of production from the product feeder to the sorting station. In such a packaging system, a monitoring unit is provided upstream of or along the product feeder so as to detect at least one characteristic of the products and transmit it to the control unit, the sorting station being configured for inserting, depending on the category of the respective packed product, packagings into collecting containers provided for them, or for placing them onto conveyor belts provided for them.

The control unit associates the information received from the monitoring unit with a product characteristic of a certain category. A category represents a limited range or a range of values and is associated with the product or the packaging for the future sequence of production steps. Two, three and also more than three categories may be defined per characteristic.

By means of a line control, the control unit traces all the products from the monitoring unit via the product feeder and the packaging machine up to the sorting station so as to insert, depending on the characteristic of the respective product, the packagings into suitable collecting containers or place them onto conveyor belts at the sorting station for further processing or for final packaging. Monitoring units in the packaging machine can here be dispensed with; in a multi-track thermoform packaging machine, for example, such monitoring units would have to be provided for each track so as to examine the packages which are filled with the product and which are still open. Problems may here arise, since, due to the film of the package or due to additionally introduced inserts, an examination of the characteristic of the product is no longer possible or problematic.

According to a preferred embodiment, the packaging system comprises a cutting unit, also referred to as slicer, upstream of the product feeder. The slicer cuts products, such as slices of sausage, ham or cheese, and transfers a number of slices, as a portion, to the product feeder.

The packaging machine is preferably a thermoform packaging machine or a tray sealer. These types of packaging machines are used for high outputs and for a high degree of automation.

In a preferred packaging system, a unit is provided for placing an insert, prior to insertion of the product, into the open package trough. In the case of soft film packages, inserts made of cardboard can be used for supporting the product and for stabilizing the packaging. The lower surface of the insert, by way of example, may have printed thereon product information or manufacturer's information, which can be read on the back of the packaging when a transparent bottom film is used. A preferred insert is a so-called “L-board”, which substantially comprises two surfaces defining an “L”. After insertion of the L-board, the product, e.g., a portion of sliced ham, is placed onto the part positioned on the bottom of the package. The second part of the L-board is then folded onto the product and will thus cover part of the product, and also said second part comprises product information or manufacturer's information which can be read from the top when a transparent top film is used.

Preferably, the packaging system comprises a labeller for applying labels to the top and/or bottom of the packaging depending on the category of the respective product. This offers advantages with respect to flexibility and efficiency, since products with different characteristics, such as the percentage of fat in the case of ham, can be sliced and packed in a packaging system comprising only one slicer and only one packaging machine, without any necessity of retrofitting the packaging system or distributing the products to a plurality of packaging machines, depending on their category.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the packaging system, the sorting station, which is preferably located at the end of the packaging system, comprises at least two collecting containers or at least two conveyor belts for accommodating packagings, depending on the category of the respective product, and a container for sorting out empty or defective packagings. The number of collecting containers and conveyor belts preferably corresponds to the number of “product categories” to be differentiated.

The monitoring station is preferably implemented as a laser system, an X-ray system or a vision system. Depending on the nature of the product characteristic to be examined, also a plurality of different systems may be used. The monitoring station may also be provided on or in the cutting unit so as to control the thickness of the respective slices and so as to transmit the detected product characteristics to the control unit.

A method of operating a packaging system according to the present disclosure, which comprises a product feeder, a packaging machine, an infeed station, a sealing station, a sorting station for filling packagings into collecting containers or for placing them onto conveyor belts, and a control unit, is so conceived that a control unit traces all the supplied products along a direction of production from the product feeder up to the sorting station, and a monitoring unit, which is provided upstream of or along the product feeder, detects at least one characteristic of the products and transmits it to the control unit so as to insert, at the sorting station, the packagings and the products contained therein into the collecting containers or place them onto the conveyor belts, depending on a category of the products. The control unit is thus able to transmit the information on the characteristics of the products to work stations, such as the insert station for introducing inserts, or the sorting station, so that these work stations can process the packaging depending on the characteristics of the packaging.

Preferably, the products are produced upstream of the product feeder by means of a cutting unit, also referred to as slicer. The packaging system can thus process a great variety of products, such as slices of ham, sausage and cheese, in a flexible and efficient manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the packaging machine is a thermoform packaging machine or a tray sealer, which can be operated by the method according to the present disclosure in a very efficient and flexible manner.

Preferably, an insert station places an insert, prior to insertion of the product, into the open packaging trough so as to stabilize the packaging or cover part of the product and so as to use the inserts as carriers for manufacturer's information and/or product information. Likewise, a variant is imaginable in the case of which the insert is already placed below the product or the stack of products on the product feeder. This can be accomplished, for example, by a belt transition from a first conveyor belt to a second conveyor belt, in the case of which the respective insert is supplied to a position between the conveyor belt and the product. This will be advantageous when the products processed are frozen or semi-frozen, since this kind of products adhere only very little to a conveyor belt and may shift due to accelerations or speed changes. An insert placed below the product already immediately after a monitoring unit can provide higher process security for the continued transport on the product feeder, including insertion into the moulded packaging trough.

Preferably, a labeller applies labels, depending on the characteristic of the product, to the packagings. The labels may comprise information such as materials listing, class of quality, percentage of fat, weight and/or price.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the monitoring unit detects the characteristic of the product by means of a vision system, a laser system and/or an X-ray system, and transmits this information to the control unit.

In the following, an advantageous embodiment of the disclosure is explained in more detail with reference to the below drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view of an embodiment of the packaging system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a packaging trough containing an insert and a product; and

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a sealed packaging.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Identical components are designated by identical reference numerals throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a packaging system 1 according to the present disclosure comprising, in the direction of production R, the following units in succession:

-   -   cutting unit 2,     -   product feeder 3     -   monitoring unit 4,     -   weigher 5,     -   distributor 6,     -   thermoform packaging machine 7,     -   forming station 8,     -   infeed station (or insertion station) 9,     -   sealing station 10,     -   labeller 11,     -   separating station 12 and     -   sorting station 13 with collecting containers 14 and a reject         container 14′.

Upstream of the infeed station 9 of the thermoform packaging machine 7, a unit 15 is arranged, which is used for inserting inserts, e.g. boards 16 or L-boards 17, which are provided in magazines.

A control unit 18 is connected to the units 4, 15 and the stations 11, 13 and is provided with a line control which traces or tracks all the products 19 by detection on the product feeder 3 along their way through the packaging machine 7 up to the sorting station 13 and into the collecting containers 14. The control unit 18 may also be the control unit of the thermoform packaging machine 7.

The individual units and stations are now described in more detail.

The cutting unit 2 is a so-called slicer, which cuts off slices of sausage, ham or cheese, for example, from a caliber and transfers these slices, stacked or shingled as portions 19 of several slices, to the product feeder 3.

The monitoring unit 4 provided on or at the product feeder 3 detects, e.g. by means of a vision system and/or an X-ray apparatus, the percentage of fat of a ham and/or the size of the rim of fat of the portions 19, also referred to as products 19, which are moving past said monitoring unit 4. Being a characteristic of the product 19, the percentage of fat is divided e.g. into category A and category B in the control unit 18. Product 19 of category A having the lower percentage of fat is the higher-quality product 19, and product 19 of category B is the lower-quality product 19. Also other subdivisions into categories are imaginable as well as additional categories which, in turn, may be subdivided more than once. When different categories exist, they can be transmitted and allocated to all or to only some of the individual units or stations.

The weigher 5 weighs each individual portion 19 and transmits the weight value to the control unit 18, the cutting unit 2, the labeller 11 and/or the sorting station 13.

The distributor 6 takes over the products 19, hitherto referred to as portions, arriving in a single track from the product feeder 3 and distributes them, in the embodiment shown, to two conveyor belts 20 which extend up to the infeed station 9 of the thermoform packaging machine 7.

The thermoform packaging machine 7 comprises a forming station 8 in which package troughs 22 (cf. FIG. 2) for receiving therein the product are formed in a first film web. The package troughs 22 formed in the first film web can be conveyed intermittently or continuously within the thermoform packaging machine 7 in a direction of production R by means of a feed device, which is not shown.

The infeed unit 15 is arranged between the forming station 8 and the infeed station (insertion station) 9. Depending on the characteristics of the product 19, the infeed unit 15 inserts into the package troughs 22 a flat insert 16, also referred to as board, taken from a first magazine, or an L-shaped insert 17, also referred to as L-board, taken from a second magazine. The infeed unit 15 is able to do so, in a manner which is not shown, by means of a robot or by means of a handling module known in the prior art. The inserts 16, 17 are used, e.g., in the case of packagings 21 consisting of soft films, for supporting the product 19 and for stabilizing the packaging 21. In the case of the L-board 17, the longer part of the L-board 17 is disposed in the package trough 22 and the shorter part projects upwards such that, coming from the conveyor belts 20, the product 19 can be placed onto the L-board 17 in the package trough 22 in the infeed station 9. In the case of packages with an L-board 17, the shorter part is folded onto the top of the product 19 by means of a device which is not shown. This part of the L-board 17 will then cover part of the product 19. If the product 19 in question consists of slices of ham, for example, this part of the product will preferably be the rim of fat.

In the thermoform packaging machine 7, the two tracks of package troughs 22 contain different inserts 16, 17 or boards and on said inserts or boards products 19 of different categories. The control unit 18 comprises a software-supported line control by means of which the position of each individual product 19 can be traced from the monitoring unit 4 up to the sorting station 13 and additional information, such as the category of the product, can be carried along and managed and this information can be transmitted to further units or stations during the sequence of production steps.

The sealing station 10, in which the package troughs 22 that each contain a board 16, 17 and a product 19 are sealed with a second film web under vacuum and/or a modified atmosphere so as to obtain packagings 21, is followed by the labeller 11. The labeller 11 applies one or a plurality of labels to the upper and/or lower surface of each packaging 21. Depending on the category of the packed product 19, the labels applied are either different labels or the information printed on the label during the labelling process is different and directly associated with the product 19. For example, the weight registered at the weigher 5 and the category A or B are printed onto the label as information. According to one variant, a weigher is provided upstream of the labeller 11 for weighing the packagings 21, which have previously been separated from one another, and for transmitting the weight information to the labeller 11 for marking the price.

In the separating station 12 the packagings 21 consisting of the two films are separated from one another by means of punching and/or cutting units, which are not shown.

The sorting station 13 is provided with a handling unit, which is not shown, preferably a delta robot for simultaneously gripping a plurality of packagings 21, said handling unit transferring the separated packagings, depending on the category of the product 19, to different collecting containers 14 or final packaging machines. Packagings 21, which were classified as “defective” in the line control during the sequence of processing steps, e.g. due to a missing board or label or due to insufficient weight of the product, can be sorted out via a reject container 14′. If desired, the products 19, which are identified as products having an excessively low or excessively high weight, can already be sorted out prior to feeding them into the packaging machine.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention. 

1. A packaging system comprising: a product feeder for feeding products; a packaging machine provided with an infeed station arranged downstream of the product feeder for inserting the products into open package troughs, the packing machine further including a sealing station for sealing the package troughs to form packagings; a sorting station; a control unit that is configured to track the products in a direction of production along at least a portion of the packaging system; and a monitoring unit arranged upstream of or along the product feeder for detecting at least one characteristic of the products and transmitting the at least one characteristic to the control unit; wherein the sorting station is configured for sorting, depending on a category of the respective packed product, the packagings into collecting containers and/or onto conveyor belts.
 2. A packaging system according to claim 1 further comprising a cutting unit upstream of the product feeder.
 3. A packaging system according to claim 1 wherein the packaging machine comprises a thermoform packaging machine or a tray sealer.
 4. A packaging system according to claim 1 further comprising a unit for placing an insert into a respective open package trough prior to insertion of a respective product into the respective open package trough, or below the respective product on the product feeder.
 5. A packaging system according to claim 1 further comprising a labeller for applying labels to the packagings such that each label depends on the category of the respective product in the respective packaging.
 6. A packaging system according to claim 1 wherein the sorting station comprises at least two collecting containers or conveyor belts for accommodating packagings depending on the category of the respective product and a reject container for sorting out empty or defective packagings.
 7. A packaging system according to claim 1 wherein the monitoring unit comprises a laser system, an X-ray system and/or a vision system.
 8. A packaging system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit is configured to track the products from the product feeder to the sorting station.
 9. A method of operating a packaging system comprising a product feeder for supplying products, a packaging machine including an infeed station for inserting the products into package troughs and a sealing station for sealing the package troughs to form packagings, a sorting station for inserting the packagings into collecting containers or for placing them onto conveyor belts, and a control unit, the method comprising: tracing by the control unit the supplied products in a direction of production; detecting by a monitoring unit, which is provided upstream of or along the product feeder, at least one characteristic of the products; transmitting the at least one characteristic to the control unit; and inserting, at the sorting station, the packagings and the products contained therein into the collecting containers or transferring the packagings onto the conveyor belts depending on categories of the products.
 10. A method according to claim 9 further comprising cutting the products upstream of the product feeder by a cutting unit.
 11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the packaging machine is a thermoform packaging machine or a tray sealer.
 12. A method according to claim 9 further comprising placing by a unit an insert into a respective open package trough prior to insertion of a respective product into the respective open package trough, or below the respective product on the product feeder.
 13. A method according to claim 9 further comprising applying labels to the packagings by a labeller, depending on the category of the respective product.
 14. A method according to claim 9 wherein the monitoring unit detects the at least one characteristic of the products by means of a vision system, a laser system and/or an X-ray system.
 15. A method according to claim 9 wherein the tracing is performed such that the products are traced from the product feeder up to the sorting station. 